Are we too old for this??

We had our Spring Fling last night for Juniors and Seniors. It was SUCH a blast but not over until 5 AM !! After a few hours of sleep this morning, Russell and I are still pretty bleary eyed. We went to some really neat Dallas attractions (The West End, The Arboretum, Fountain Place, and Reunion Tower) But it rained most of the night so all of my pictures are inside...Here are a few Some Cool Kids Some Sweet Junior Girls Some Amazing Chaperones Some Tired Youth Ministers!

Bethie is in Labor

I am so excited...my oldest ,bestest friend Beth Moore Prewitt is in labor right now with her first child in Atlanta. Please pray for her as it has already been an exhausting night and she has a while to go! I can't wait until her little girl is born so we can ALL FINALLY know the name!


Good Luck, Beth! We are praying for you!!!


I will get pictures up as soon as I get them!

Cute Pregnant Bethie

Me and Bethie at NCYM a few years ago

Back from the beach =(

We just got back from the beach last night around 1AM and I am so sad to already be home! It was so great to relax with friends and family! Here are a few pictures from the trip...I took over 200, and I have to say, they were all so good I had trouble deciding which ones to post!

ALL 8 of us!!! Good thing we stayed in a big house!!!

update

This is going to be quick. We had to take Annaleigh back to the Dr. yesterday after a very ROUGH couple of days...he proceeded to tell us that she had not one, not two, but THREE viruses! I just about cried right there in the office at the prospect we may not make our long-awaited beach trip this week. He quickly told me that we were on the end of the two contagious ones (Intestinal and Croup) and he was going to give her a shot today and send her home with Antibiotics for , yet another, ear infection....his advise would be to hold off the trip one day if at all possible to observe her and make sure she is on the up and up....FORTUNATELY, the beach house we are going to is owned by some very dear friends who could be flexible...so we are STILL going (just not until Friday.)
I most likely will not get another chance to post until we get back...so I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Buggie

It turns out little-bit has a touch of the dreaded stomach bug again! Looks like a few days inside for us plus lots of germ-x, lysol, clear liquids, crackers, and watching the Wiggles. I gotta get this kid 100% before we leave for the beach (Laguna Beach, Florida for those who care) on Wednesday!

Here she is on a day she felt more like herself

Last night's adventure

We have been experiencing an unusually wet/stormy spring here in North Texas. Considering it rained a total of about 3 times all last spring or summer, everyone has been in shock! Last night a huge storm struck our area about 15 minutes after Bible Class started at church. It went from still to literally 90 mile an hour winds!!! The power went out not too long after things started to kick up....My baby was in cradle roll in another building so a friend and I braved the storms to go and rescue our kids! Of course they didn't even care it was pitch black, but it made us feel better to have our babies in our arms. All the moms gathered and sat in the hallway with the babies while waiting for the worst of the storm to blow over by cell-phone light! We all laughed how funny it was we don't even need flashlights anymore because of cell phones.
We got home to discover the power was out in our house, so we just lit candles and made the best of it. We sort of thought the power would come back on quickly because we practically live in the middle of Mesquite....well it didn't and the house started to get muggy and hot. We would have left the windows cracked but there are no screens on our windows and we didn't want to let bugs and critters in all night. We didn't want Annaleigh to get too hot so we packed up to go spend the night at a friends house. Wouldn't you know that as soon as we got to the front door Annaleigh THEW UP all over me and her. We were already wearing our pj's and didn't even have a change of clothes with us so we had to borrow clothes from our friends. She was so yucky I had to bring her in and put her straight in the tub! By the time we all got to bed it was almost 1AM.
Everyone is fine now! We got power back around 10am today but unfortunately some people in the area still do not have power. There were not any tornadoes here....but there was some damage done by the wind. Thank goodness our only loss was the melted Blue Bell ice cream in our freezer!

confession

Hello. My name is Laurie and I am a Diet Dr. Pepper-aholic. It is sad, I know. Justification: I only have one or two a day so it's not that bad, right?? Okay. I know the real culprit is my teensy addiction to caffeine...but I still can't help loving the stuff. It's my only vice in life!! What is your favorite food or drink vice??

Cut it or leave it??

Okay, I know this may seem random or even silly, but I am debating a huge dilemma. I can't decide whether or not to cut my little girl's hair. Bless her, she is a bit challenged in that department anyway so I hate to cut any that she has, but these days she is sporting a do that's somewhere between a sweet 80's mullet and Cindy-Lou Who off of Dr. Seuss's the Grinch that Stole Christmas ( i.e. curl over the ears and occasional sprig that stands straight up on her head) Here are a few recent shots to give you a better idea on how to vote:

Blue Bonnets

A fun Texas tradition is to take your kids pictures in the blue bonnets every year....here is our first attempt:

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Russell! You are an amazing husband, a loving father, a fiercely loyal friend, and dedicated and enthusiastic follower of Christ. I love you!

Crunch TIME!

UGGGHHH! I have a Microbiology paper due today on Salmonella Typhimurium that I have been slaving away on for days. All of the sudden I am having flashbacks to the Elam Dorm computer lab at Lipscomb University, circa 1998! Let's just hope my computer doesn't freeze up like the ones in the dorms were notorious for doing!!! Does anyone else remember that??
Back to work! Will update in a few days after papers, lab practicals, etc. etc. etc.

Baseball

Catchin' a little Skeeter baseball this weekend with Daddy and his friend!

Breast Cancer 3 day walk

60 miles in 3 days! This October I am going to have the incredible privilege to participate in the DFW Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk with several moms and girls from our youth group. I am a little fearful because I am certainly not in tip-top shape but I know it's such a great cause and will be an amazing bonding experience for us all. Breast Cancer affects all women in some personal way...we all probably know someone who has survived breast cancer or gone on before us because of the disease. I can't help but think that statistically one of us will have it at some point, which is scary, but all the more reason to promote finding a cure NOW. When the girls initially asked me to do this walk with them I thought it might not be the best idea. Of course I support the cause, but I thought it might be good for them to just do it with their moms. Later, one of the moms approached me and said they really wanted me to do it with them because they consider me such a significant part of these girls lives they wanted me to be there as friend, supporter, etc. I was so honored/humbled...how could I say no?? So the task ahead is to raise $2,300 dollars and to train to walk 60 miles....and I need help. I need prayers and I need fundraising ideas. If you would like to help me with this or have any great ideas feel free to comment or contact me by email at lauriefrantz2002@yahoo.com . Thank you in advance!

Naked Baby

This picture of my little girl made me smile today!

Spring?? Is that you?

Here is to hoping the cold weather is finally behind us!

Do we have a future Georgia Bulldog on our hands??

More Blogging Friends

Sarah (Scott) Damschroder and Amy (Bogle) Hogg have also started blogs this past week..... thought you might be interested in checking them out!

Family

I have been thinking a lot about family today...specifically and in general. We actually went on a youth retreat this weekend, which was great, but I have to admit I was sad to not have a "traditional" Easter Sunday. There were no special Easter services, no new dresses, no bunny, no egg hunts. It was a great time of fellowship and community with our teens and youth team....but I missed the tradition. On the car ride back from Austin, my friend played a new Amy Grant CD of traditional church hymns . I was amazed to find how all the songs touched my heart in such a personal way. Each hymn reminded me of a family member... "My Jesus, I Love Thee" has always been my Mama Moore's favorite song. I can close my eyes and hear the words in her beautiful voice. "It is Well With my Soul" is one of Papa's favorite. Tears come to my eyes every time it is sung. I realized today that through songs of praise to God, we can also have powerful connections to our loved ones here on earth and to those who have gone before us. I missed my family today, but somehow, through songs, they were right there next to me.

Freezing!

Is anyone else freezing their patootie's off today?? Cold temps in Dallas during the month of April just isn't right! Obviously, Annaleigh is looking forward to our beach trip just a little more than a month away by trying out her beach chair, bikini, & sunglasses!

What is it with ear infections??

We just got back from the Dr. for A's 1year check up. 20lbs 40z, 30 inches, and ANOTHER ear infection just as I had suspected! That makes the 3rd in the last 2 months! Dr. Sonnen said if she has one more in the next month we will have to start discussing tubes for her ears...but here is my question: Have kids always gotten ear infections this much?? Seems like every one's kid has an ear infection right now....so on to the next round of antibiotics.

My friend Ashlie (Caldwell) Namie just started a blog. Thought some of you Lipscomb people might want to check her out and welcome her to the blogging world! She has some pictures posted from Jennifer Phillips wedding which was last weekend....I was sooooo sad to miss the event however it is nice to be keeping up with some of my girls through "blogging" after moving all the way out here to Texas! Speaking of moving to Texas, April (Shelton) Mattison also just made it back to the big D! I look forward to getting together with her soon! I am sure she is as fabulous as ever...especially now that she has a cute little baby bump!

Some of you may recall my entry a few weeks ago entitled "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" chronicling a pair of blue jeans which were passed on to me by my mom and sister. I happened to catch the movie the other night on TV and it was precious. A cute little chick flick that most gals can relate to in one way or the other....Just thought you would like to know.

OK. Enough randomness. Have a happy Monday evening!

Fergie - Fergalicious Parody

Fergie - Fergalicious Parody

Ok. This is just funny. I also have to admit I secretly love Fergie even though she feels the need to give us a spelling lesson in every song and my husband tells me I listen to trash! Don't judge me!

Prayer

Please take time out today to say a prayer for this family. They need to be surrounded.

www.thephillipsphamily.blogspot.com

A new tradition

Every year since I can remember my mom would go through the sequence of events of my birthday with me. I remember it as a child, but even now, she will start calling in the morning first thing and continue to call through the day to remind me what she was doing the day of my birth. I never really understood why she did that until today. I have to admit that for Annaleigh's party on Saturday I had LOADS of fun but didn't feel all that sentimental (I guess i was in hostess mode.) Well, today I have caught myself welling up with tears several times thinking about what I was doing a year ago....from the beginning stages of labor, to the 10 hours I spent in natural labor without an epidural, to finally getting the epidural, to learning I would have to have an immediate c-section for the safety of me and my baby....then to the first time I held her in my arms. It all seems like a dream now....but I know that it happened because God has blessed us with a healthy and vibrant little girl. One Year Ago

Today

With all of the above weighing heavy on my heart, I ran across a new blog of "a friend of a friend." I am sure some of you know Kory & Jayme Phillips at least by proxy. Jayme gave birth to twins the other day ...each of them weighing under 2 pounds. Please check out the web sight www.thephillipsphamily.blogspot.com and keep them in your prayers. The little girl especially is really in need of a lot of Prayer as she is fighting for her life. These babies have reminded me how precious life is today.

On to our new tradition. I decided at 5:20 (the time she was born) every year on my little girls birthday we will eat a piece of cake and blow out candles as a family if at all possible and no matter when her actual birthday party was. Here are a few pictures around the dinner table tonight
I promise I will not be so sappy and sentimental in future posts...but thank you for humoring me today and sharing in our joy.

The Birthday Party

Annaleigh's party went off without a hitch on Saturday. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Here are some pictures of the event. I have some better pictures on another camera and will try to get them uploaded today.

This weekend

I wanted to post a few pictures before the weekend just to have something new for my faithful (all three of you) readers to look at. I am excited my sister will be flying in tomorrow for a long weekend visit and my wonderful mother and father in law will be here as well. Annaleigh's party is scheduled for 12pm sharp Saturday afternoon in our backyard...but the weather is starting to look a little iffy which is making me super nervous! I am getting a contingency plan together just in case, but I admit I am crushed that all I had envisioned for her first birthday party may not come true. Oh well, It will still be fun no matter where it is!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend enjoying the spring weather with the ones you love!

Annaleigh getting into trouble I know I am not supposed to be doing this!!!!!
Having fun in the kitchen sink

An older picture of me and my little sis Rachel

Check & Check

I am happy to report that my little girl is finally feeling (nearly) 100%! It is so amazing how God made their little bodies to bounce back so quickly!

In other news, the "Spring Break" check list is slowly dwindling down. I forgot to mention I had to do our taxes (I often times mentally block that little detail out of my brain completely... I just want to give a big shout out to all of my CPA friends. You are nerds, but I admire you so much for the job you do!!) I digress. Anyway, TAXES ARE DONE AND FILED!!! One hall closet is spic and span, the garage is started, and Annaleigh and I are going to buy flowers today to plant.

Self Realization

OK. I know I am a bad mom. My little girl's first birthday soiree is in exactly 13 days and I have yet to send out invitations (by the way, if you live in the Mesquite area, you are invited.)
So...I had been looking for ideas on the Internet of concepts that I would like to do for her invitations. At least a start, right? I knew I wanted some super-cute & unique invitations but didn't want to shell out a lot of cash for them. I find myself in Hobby Lobby wondering around aimlessly and end up buying more stuff than I should resulting in invitations that aren't as cute as ones I could buy on the Internet and probably cost more. One day I will learn that my crafting ability and my imagination are not equal counterparts. (location & number has been blocked in the event there are any stalkers reading this blog.)

I did manage to get most of the decorations I needed at various places and a few cute party favors thanks to the dollar isle at Target...

I have been meaning to post a picture of our baby blessing we had at church a few weeks ago. Unfortunately we didn't get a lot of cute pictures but it was special none the less.

I am on spring break this week from class and from teaching. My goals are to, first and foremost, get my daughter feeling 100% better (she is still pretty puny), organize my hall closets, plant some flowers in the yard, & do some spring cleaning. I will let you know how it's going soon.

Double Ear Infection+Stomach Virus=NO FUN!

Bless my little girl's heart. Wednesday morning after she up-chucked her whole breakfast I started to suspect she had picked up a little stomach virus of some sort. Since she has had one or two thus far, I knew the thing to do was to watch her close and start pumping in the Pedialyte. She was really okay and played well all day Wednesday except for the stomach bug that had obviously started to kick in. Yesterday morning, I knew there was something else wrong when she woke up burning up with a fever and was completely lethargic which is NEVER my little girl. I gave some Motrin and quickly called and got in with the Dr. By the time we got her there, her fever jumped up to 103. We soon learned she had a double ear infection, which I had NO idea she had, plus some kind of stomach bug on top of it! Bless her heart! She has felt so bad the last couple of days. It is the absolute worst feeling in the world to see your children hurt. I wonder if that is the way God feels about us when HE sees us hurting. We are so blessed to have a Savior who takes our pain and our worry from us. I know that I have been stressed this week about my little girl being sick and lots of nursing exams....but I am going to try hard to let God take that from me and give Him the control. Because I just can't do it by myself.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

No, I am not talking about the book or the movie. I am talking about the most perfect pair of jeans my tush has ever worn. It all started last Christmas when my 47 year old mother decided she wanted some, in her own words, "cool jeans." We started walking around the mall where we ended up in American Eagle. Now, I would like to digress for a moment to say that I don't shop at American Eagle mainly because all the girls in the youth group either shop there or Hollister and I just don't care to show up to church with the same outfit as them...okay, so anyway, we are in American Eagle and she finds some very cute jeans. They do make her look young, but that's what she was going for. After seeing her wear them for a few times, I decide they are so cute that I want a pair too...but so does my sneaky little sister. Simultaneously, my dad makes a comment the jeans make her look too youngish so she puts them away. We go back to Texas...the next thing I know my sister calls me and tells me mom gave her the jeans. I WANTED THOSE JEANS (oh the woes of having a sister and a mother who wears the same size as me!) I was going to go and buy a pair, but now I won't on the principal that my mom gave the jeans that I wanted to my sister. A few weeks pass. My sister (who is the same size as me but also two inches taller) decides the jeans are too short for her...so she mails them to me. They arrive in the mail and I am nervous because I have never actually put these jeans on my body before. After I made such a big fuss they may not fit at all. I start to have major anxiety as I immediately strip in the living room to put them on...and they FIT LIKE A GLOVE!!! I love these jeans so much I have to make myself variate my wardrobe! Just curious, what is the item of clothing you just can't live without??